The problem with independence: Exhibit A

My kids have always wanted to do things their own way. I don't know if it's just a kid thing or if it's my kids in particular, but I must admit that it can be terribly trying at times. Maïa has been asserting her independence since long before she uttered her first full sentence at about 18 months: "Maïa do it self!" She said this to Derek as they headed down the stairs of our apartment building: she didn't want to hold his hand. Sigh.

The problem, lately, with Maïa's need for independence is that it takes a whole lot of time for her to do everything herself. Now that we're into snowsuit weather, there's a whole new type of clothing she needs to figure out: hats, boots, neckwarmers, mitts, and of course, the long zippers on the snowsuit. I've tried to factor in the extra time, but inevitably, we get rushed. So I try to help her. I do up the zipper. She gets upset (read: she screams then cries), undoes the zipper, and then does it up herself. The thing is, she can't really be blamed for doing it: I know that she'll do it, but a small part of me hopes that she won't and that it'll all go faster if I do it. Right.

So the real problem with independence is letting it happen. The problem with Maïa's independence is me...